Culture of Life

God loves each human life from the instant of his or her conception and entrusts this gift to the protection of a mother and father. Abortion ends the life of a child and offends God. It also deeply wounds the women and men involved.

USCCB, Abortion

Every individual, precisely by reason of the mystery of the Word of God who was made flesh (cf. Jn 1:14), is entrusted to the maternal care of the Church. Therefore every threat to human dignity and life must necessarily be felt in the Church's very heart; it cannot but affect her at the core of her faith in the Redemptive Incarnation of the Son of God, and engage her in her mission of proclaiming the Gospel of life in all the world and to every creature

Evangelium Vitae

Th Church’s constant teaching is that it is always intrinsically wrong to use contraception to prevent new human beings from coming into existence.

Contraception is “any action which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act [sexual intercourse], or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible” (Humanae Vitae 14). This includes sterilization, condoms and other barrier methods, spermicides, coitus interruptus (withdrawal method), the Pill, and all other such methods.

Contraception is wrong because it’s a deliberate violation of the design God built into the human race, often referred to as “natural law.” The natural-law purpose of sex is procreation. The pleasure that sexual intercourse provides is an additional blessing from God, intended to offer the possibility of new life while strengthening the bond of intimacy, respect, and love between husband and wife. The loving environment this bond creates is the perfect setting for nurturing children.

But sexual pleasure within marriage becomes unnatural, and even harmful to the spouses, when it is used in a way that deliberately excludes the basic purpose of sex, which is procreation. God’s gift of the sex act, along with its pleasure and intimacy, must not be abused by deliberately frustrating its natural end—procreation.

Catholic Answers, Birth Control

Stem cells from adult tissues, umbilical cord blood, and placenta (often loosely called “adult stem cells”) can be obtained without harm to the donor and without any ethical problem, and these have already demonstrated great medical promise. But some scientists are most intrigued by stem cells obtained by destroying an embryonic human being in the first week or so of development. Harvesting these “embryonic stem cells” involves the deliberate killing of innocent human beings, a gravely immoral act. 

As believers who recognize each human life as the gift of an infinitely loving God, we insist that every human being, however small or seemingly insignificant, matters to God—hence everyone, no matter how weak or small, is of concern to us.

Our society does not permit lethal experiments on terminally ill patients or condemned prisoners on the pretext that they will soon die anyway. Likewise, the fact that an embryonic human being is at risk of being abandoned by his or her parents gives no individual or government a right to directly kill that human being first.

USCCB, On Embryonic Stem Cell Research

The Church firmly objects to IVF,  fertility clinics, sperm banks, egg brokers and surrogate mothers. These practices substitute a technological act for married love as the source of procreation. The Assisted Reproductive Technology industry tends to “commodify” children, and the processes may also involve freezing, destroying or donating (for experiments) embryos “left over” from clients.

There is holy mystery in God’s choosing to bring human life into being in one manner and not another.   Catholic teaching holds that good social life requires every person to regard every other person as a gift from God—as a unique individual with his or her own talents and responsibilities, a person to be treated in accord with the dignity given by God Himself.

Families are to form human beings for this manner of social living. They do this in part when they form children by an act of the most profound and intimate love between the parents. Children so conceived are, from their very beginning, the gifts and fruits of this love. Children so conceived may be desired but cannot be “demanded.”

USCCB, Assisted Reproductive Technology and the Family

By erasing the beautiful differences and complementary relationship between man and woman, we ignore the glory of God’s creation and harm the human family, the first building block of society. Our sex, whether we are male or female, is part of God’s plan for creation and for our lives. As Pope Francis has taught with such sensitivity, to live in the truth with God’s intended gifts in our lives requires that we receive our bodily and sexual identity with gratitude from our Creator. No one can find true happiness by pursuing a path that is contrary to God’s plan.

Every human person is made in the image and likeness of God and, without exception, must be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect. Protecting our neighbors from unjust discrimination does not require redefining human nature.

USCCB, President of U.S. Bishops’ Conference Issues Statement 

The Church has a take that is grounded in genuinely confirmed reality. One is born either male or female, and this also applies to hermaphrodites who, though they manifest both male and female anatomical aspects at birth, are either biological boys or girls.

We should help people discover their true identities as children of God, not support them in the disordered attempt to reject their undeniable biological identity.

Catholic Answers, The Church's Position on Transgenderism

One’s sex matters for marriage because the body matters for love, especially spousal love. A person’s body is a necessary part of identity, even though who we are cannot be reduced to “just” our bodies. As St. John Paul II said, the body reveals the person. It is a deeply personal reality, not just a biological fact (see TOB, 14 Nov, 1979). Loving as a human person means loving as a man or as a woman. Our bodies direct us toward the other sex because we can never be the other sex. Only a man and a woman can truly unite and become “one flesh.”

To consider the body (and one’s sex) as unimportant to marriage means treating the body as inconsequential or, at best, as an object or tool to be used according to one’s pleasure or desire. Instead, we know that the body is an essential – and beautiful – aspect of being human and loving as a human person. The spousal love between husband and wife calls for a free, full, faithful, and fruitful gift of self to each other, including the gift of their bodies. Sexual difference is necessary for such a full self-gift.

USCCB, FAQs on the Meaning of Marriage & Sexual Difference

Catholic social teaching proclaims the dignity of the human person and the sanctity of all human life.  Each person is made in the image of God, is loved immeasurably by Him, and has inherent worth. Every person is precious, people are more important than possessions, and the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person. Because every life is a gift from God and is sacred, it deserves to be protected and nurtured; we each have a responsibility to fight against the violation and degradation of our brothers and sisters.

Modern-day slavery—where men, women, and children are bought and sold like merchandise—inherently rejects this principle, showing absolute contempt for human beings.  For this reason, eliminating human trafficking and empowering survivors has been a historic concern of the Catholic Church.

USCCB, Catholic Social Teaching and the Church's Fight to End Trafficking

Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense.

Pornography is a grave offense against God and His gifts to men and women. God created men and women "in His image" to share in His divine life. Rather than respecting and cherishing this image of God, pornography promotes harmful and destructive anthropology (view of the human person). It teaches people to use others as "objects"--in this case, a means of selfish, lustful gratification. In addition, since pornography attacks sexual desire and the conjugal act itself, it wages war on marriage. It is important to remember what God created for husbands and wives.

In the conjugal act, husband and wife are called to confirm in a responsible way the mutual gift of self which they have made to each other in the marriage covenant...the mutual gift of husband and wife...is in itself a mutual communion of love and of life. The intimate truth of this gift must always be safeguarded.... The person can never be considered a means to an end; above all never a means of pleasure. The person is and must be nothing other than the end of every act. Only then does the action correspond to the true dignity of the person.

USCCB, Pornography Harms Everyone

The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, reaches out lovingly and compassionately to women who have had an abortion in his encyclical letter Evangelium Vitae (EV), the Gospel of Life. While condemning abortion as "an unspeakable crime," he acknowledges that "the decision to have an abortion is often tragic and painful for the mother..." 

Try rather to understand what happened and face it honestly. If you have not already done so, give yourselves over with humility and trust to repentance. The Father of mercies is ready to give you His forgiveness and His peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  For all of these women, the "Good News" is that the Catholic Church forgives abortion, and that the Pope is reaching out to them with an invitation to "come home" and be reconciled with God and return to full communion with their fellow Catholics.

USCCB, A Special WOrd to Women Who Have Had an Abortion

Click here for information on healing.

The Catholic Church supports the methods of Natural Family Planning (NFP) because they respect God's design for married love. In fact, NFP represents the only authentic approach to family planning available to husbands and wives because these methods can be used to both attempt or avoid pregnancy.

These methods are based on the observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle.   Married couples using NFP to postpone conception abstain from intercourse and genital contact during the fertile phase of the wife's cycle. No drugs, devices, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy. Married couples who use NFP to attempt a pregnancy, make use of the fertile window--the optimum time when conception is likely.

NFP reflects the dignity of the human person within the context of marriage and family life, promotes openness to life, and recognizes the value of the child. By respecting the love-giving and life-giving natures of marriage, NFP can enrich the bond between husband and wife.

USCCB, Natural Family Planning

When properly prescribed for the pain of serious illness, powerful pain medications like morphine and other opioids are safe and effective. Patients can have their pain well-controlled without risk to life, and generally stay alert as well.

The Importance is Intent.  While pain medication is generally safe under medical supervision, it may have side-effects, and pose some risk of shortening life.  The doctor and patient must assess the good they intend and proceed only if this good outweighs the unintended adverse effects. As risk cannot always be eliminated, modern medicine would be impossible without this "principle of double effect." The key is that no one involved intends the bad effects, especially the bad effect of killing the patient.

USCCB, Killing the Pain, Not the Patient

As conscientious stewards, we see a duty to preserve life while recognizing certain limits to that duty.  Documents have been created to set forth moral principles defining a "stewardhip of life" ethic.  Utilize this ethic and the consideration of the dignity of the human person and respect for life when making decisions.

Suffering is a fact of human life, and has special significance for the Christian as an opportunity to share in Christ's redemptive suffering.  Nevertheless there is nothing wrong in trying to relieve someone's suffering as long as this does not interfere with other moral and religious duties.  For example, it is permissible in the case of terminal illness to use pain-killers which carry the risk of shortening life, so long as the intent is to relieve pain effectively rather than to cause death.

Everyone has the duty to care for his or her own health and to seek necessary medical care from others, but this does not mean that all possible remedies must be used in all circumstances.  One is not obliged to use "extraordinary" means - that is, means which offer no reasonable hope of benefit or which involve excessive hardship.  Such decisions are complex, and should be made by the patient in consultation with his or her family and physician whenever possible.

Guidelines for Legislation on Life-Sustaining Treatment

More on this topic and other end-of-life issues, including life-sustaining treatments, vegetative state, depression in terminal illness, and other issues can be found on the link below. 

USCCB, End of Life

EWTN End of Life Issues

For assistance with ethical end-of-life issues, contact our Diocesan Medical Ethics department:

Rev. John A. Krivak

Annunciation B.V.M. Rectory

Phone: 610-264-0332 

It is important to be aware of the different legal or medical documents that are available or are often used to define a patient’s care. Depending on how they are crafted, some documents can be counter to Catholic morality and more harmful than we might realize.

No matter how well-crafted, a living will can never predict all the possible problems that may occur at a later time or anticipate all future treatment options. A living will can be misinterpreted by medical providers who might not understand the patient’s wishes.  A “Physician Order for Life- Sustaining Treatment" is filled out by a doctor or other medical professional to define treatments to be withheld or administered in a future situation. Once signed by the physician, it becomes a doctor’s order and may override the patient’s own past advance directives and even the patient’s appointment of a health care agent. It may be applied to patients who are not in a terminal situation and who might only need antibiotics, nutrition and hydration, or other proportionate care.

The safest option is to designate a health care agent who not only understands our Catholic values but also shares them and can apply them to current situations and respond to questions as they arise.

USCCB, Advance Medical Directives

For assistance with ethical end-of-life issues, contact our Diocesan Medical Ethics department:

Rev. John A. Krivak

Annunciation B.V.M. Rectory

Phone: 610-264-0332 

Catholic teaching holds that organ donation is a generous and noble act as long as adequate moral criteria are met, including free and informed consent and the preservation of bodily integrity in the case of a living donor.

The ethics of organ donation at end of life depends on two criteria: 1) whether the patient or the family gives free and informed consent to organ procurement and 2) whether the patient is in fact deceased when vital organs are removed. (The willing donation by the living of non-vital organs, such as one kidney; a lung; or a portion of the liver, the pancreas, or intestines is always permissible.)

Can organs be removed before life support is stopped? An ethical standard called the Dead Donor Rule (DDR) states the obvious edict that vital organs should be removed only from a dead body and not from a living person.

The Church is concerned with human dignity. If there is “moral certainty” that death has occurred before organ procurement, then it is ethical if consent has been given. That is the guiding principle in both the theological and medical determination of death: moral certainty.

Catholic Answers, When is Organ Donation Moral?

We owe to those who are dying or severely impaired the same respect and love we give to anyone else, regardless of condition. And as a Church we must be particularly committed to defending the rights of our most vulnerable brothers and sisters, just as we are for the unborn and for those challenged by disabilities.

Slogans such as “death with dignity” abound, but miss a fundamental truth: our dignity is in our humanity and how it reflects the goodness of God. When we love and affirm each other even in the most extreme circumstances, we witness to the dignity of person. Pain and suffering do not undermine our dignity. Abandoning the suffering brother or sister to death does. True compassion means accompanying another person in his suffering, alleviating that suffering with respect for the person’s dignity, and never abandoning him or her.

Today we are surrounded by a culture of death that proclaims that only productive and pleasure-filled lives are worth living. A life that faces suffering is deemed to be a waste and something that should be ended. This ignores the mysterious reality that suffering can lead to great things in the human person. Persons approaching the end of life often face loneliness and depression, and want to end their isolation and pain. They need love and understanding, not an expedited death. True solidarity and love require us to address these serious problems and affirm the suffering person, enabling him to feel that he is cherished and valued and that his life still has meaning. Terminally ill persons in pain should be offered pain relief and compassionate care to keep them comfortable. Today modern medicine is remarkably effective in minimizing pain; there is little to the contention that people need die agonizing deaths, and nothing to the claim that it is more “dignified” to take one’s life.

USCCB, Life Matters: To the End of our Days

We owe to those who are dying or severely impaired the same respect and love we give to anyone else, regardless of condition. And as a Church we must be particularly committed to defending the rights of our most vulnerable brothers and sisters, just as we are for the unborn and for those challenged by disabilities.

Admittedly, it can be painful and heart wrenching to watch a loved one slowly die. After all, our intentions seem to be good: to put someone out of his pain and “needless suffering.”  But where is the sacrificial love and recognition of a loved value when, for example, a husband smothers his frail wife with a pillow because she had arthritis and moderate dementia?  To bring about the death of a person in order to ease his or her suffering is always wrong. It is “always a serious violation of the law of God because it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person”  

This applies equally to withholding nutrition and hydration (food and fluids) from incurably ill or dying persons to ensure their death. A common way to hasten anyone’s death is simply to stop feeding him or her. But everyone has a right to basic care, including food and fluids, even if at times it has to be administered through a tube. This is the ordinary care we owe to everyone, even when we cannot foresee a turnaround in their condition.

USCCB, Life Matters: To the End of our Days

If there are serious health risks, it can be morally acceptable to receive a vaccine that uses abortion-derived cell lines if there are no other available vaccines comparable in safety and efficacy with no connection to abortion. If it is possible to choose among a number of equally safe and effective vaccines, the vaccine with the least connection to abortion-derived cell lines should be chosen.  If a vaccine with no connection to abortion-derived cell lines is not readily available, vaccines that used such cell lines only for testing would be preferable to those that use such cell lines for ongoing  production. Such choices may not be possible, however, especially in the early stages of vaccine distribution. In that case, one may receive any of the clinically recommended vaccines in good conscience with the assurance that reception of such vaccines does not involve immoral cooperation in abortion.

Vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore, it must be voluntary. In any case, from the ethical point of view, the morality of vaccination depends not only on the duty to protect one’s own health but also on the duty to pursue the common good.”  In the absence of other means to stop or even prevent the epidemic vaccination may promote the common good, “especially to protect the weakest and most exposed.” For a vaccine to be effective in protecting society, most people need to be vaccinated in order to break the chain of disease transmission from person to person throughout the community. Those who refuse to get vaccinated must do their utmost, by taking all the necessary precautions, to avoid “becoming vehicles for the transmission of the infectious agent. In particular, they must avoid any risk to the health of those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons, and who are the most vulnerable

USCCB, Moral Guidance on Vaccines

Biotechnology progress in no way depends on the enactment of laws favoring human embryo research or human cloning for research purposes. States and nations that ban these practices are taking the lead in many aspects of biotechnology growth, leaving behind regions that wrongly assumed they could automatically advance biotechnology by ignoring ethical principles. 

USCCB, Human Cloning and Biomedical Research

When scientists no longer pursue truth for its own sake, but use the tools of science to give credibility to a political agenda, no good can come of it. A public policy based on falsehoods will be seriously flawed, and science itself will be undermined.

USCCB, Agenda-Driven Science

Human cloning is intrinsically evil because it reduces human procreation to a mere manufacturing process, producing new human beings in the laboratory to predetermined specifications as though they were commodities. It shows disrespect for human life in the very act of generating it. This is especially clear when human embryos are produced by cloning for research purposes, because new human lives are generated solely in order to be destroyed. Such cloning for research will also inevitably facilitate attempts to produce live-born cloned children, posing a new challenge to each and every child’s right to be respected as a unique individual with his or her own future.

Nature in fact provides ample resources for pursuing medical progress without raising these grave moral concerns. Stem cells from adult tissues and umbilical cord blood are now known to be much more versatile than once thought. These cells are now in widespread use to treat many kinds of cancer and other illnesses, and in clinical trials they have already benefited patients suffering from heart disease, corneal damage, sickle-cell anemia, multiple sclerosis, and many other devastating conditions. Researchers have even developed new non-destructive methods for producing cells with the properties of embryonic stem cells—for example, by “reprogramming” adult cells. There is no moral objection to research and therapy of this kind, when it involves no harm to human beings at any stage of development and is conducted with appropriate informed consent. In general see the site www.stemcellresearch.org. Current clinical trials using adult and cord blood stem cells can be viewed at the site ClinicalTrials.gov by using the search term “stem cell.”  consent.

USCCB, On Embryonic Stem Cell Research

A  basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46)  and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.

The primary purpose of this special commitment to the poor is to enable them to become active participants in the life of society. It is to enable all persons to share in and contribute to the common good.

In teaching us charity, the Gospel  instructs us in the preferential respect due to the poor and the special situation they have in society: the more fortunate should renounce some of their rights so as to place their goods more generously at the service of  others. 

USCCB, Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

Racism is a sin: a sin that divides the human family, blots out the image of God among specific members of that family, and violates the fundamental human dignity of those called to be children of the same Father. Racism is the sin that says some human beings are inherently superior and others essentially inferior because of races. It is the sin that makes racial characteristics the determining factor for the exercise of human rights. It mocks the words of Jesus: "Treat others the way you would have them treat you."  Indeed, racism is more than a disregard for the words of Jesus; it is a denial of the truth of the dignity of each human being revealed by the mystery of the Incarnation.

Every form of discrimination against individuals and groups--whether because of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, economic status, or national or cultural origin--is a serious injustice which has severely weakened our social fabric and deprived our country of the unique contributions of many of our citizens.  We are heirs of a religious teaching which proclaims that all men and women, as children of God, are brothers and sisters.

As individuals we should try to influence the attitudes of others by expressly rejecting racial stereotypes, racial slurs and racial jokes. We should influence the members of our families, especially our children, to be sensitive to the authentic human values and cultural contributions of each racial grouping in our country.

USCCB, Brothers and Sisters to Us

Violence -- in our homes, our schools and streets, our nation and world -- is destroying the lives, dignity and hopes of millions of our sisters and brothers. Fear of violence is paralyzing and polarizing our communities.  Beyond the violence in our streets is the violence in our hearts. Hostility, hatred, despair and indifference are at the heart of a growing culture of violence. 

We can turn away from violence; we can build communities of greater peace. It begins with a clear conviction: respect for life. Respect for life is not just a slogan or a program; it is a fundamental moral principle flowing from our teaching on the dignity of the human person. It is an approach to life that values people over things. Respect for life must guide the choices we make as individuals and as a society: what we do and won't do, what we value and consume, whom we admire and whose example we follow, what we support and what we oppose.

We see the loss of lives. We serve the victims. We feel the fear. We must confront this growing culture of violence with a commitment to life, a vision of hope and a call to action.  Across our land, parishioners and priests, men and women religious, educators and social workers, parents and community leaders are hard at work trying to offer hope in place of fear, to fight violence with programs of peace, to strengthen families and weaken gangs. 

USCCB, Confronting a Culture of Violence

Each of us is called to respect the life and dignity of every human being. Even when people deny the dignity of others, we must still recognize that their dignity is a gift from God and is not something that is earned or lost through their behavior. Respect for life applies to all, even the perpetrators of terrible acts. Punishment should be consistent with the demands of justice and with respect for human life and dignity.

When Cain killed Abel, God did not end Cain's life. Instead, he sent Cain into exile, not only sparing his life but protecting it by putting a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight

In Catholic teaching the state has the recourse to impose the death penalty upon criminals convicted of heinous crimes if this ultimate sanction is the only available means to protect society from a grave threat to human life. However, this right should not be exercised when other ways are available to punish criminals and to protect society that are more respectful of human life.

For many left behind, a death sentence offers the illusion of closure and vindication. No act, even an execution, can bring back a loved one or heal terrible wounds. The pain and loss of one death cannot be wiped away by another death.

—USCCB, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death

The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to  make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If  the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must  be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the  organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic  initiative.

Man must work out of regard for  others, especially his own family, but also for the society he belongs to, the  country of which he is a child, and the whole human family of which he is a  member, since he is the heir to the work of generations and at the same time a  sharer in building the future of those who will come after him in the  succession of history.

All people have the  right to work, to a chance to develop their qualities and their personalities in  the exercise of their professions, to equitable remuneration which will enable  them and their families "to lead a worthy life on the material, social,  cultural and spiritual level" and to assistance in case of need arising from sickness or age.

USCCB, The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers

As the USCCB Conference has insisted in Faithful Citizenship, Catholics who bring their moral convictions into public life do not threaten democracy or pluralism but enrich them and the nation. The separation of church and state does not require division between belief and public action, between moral principles and political choices, but protects the right of believers and religious groups to practice their faith and act on their values in public life.

The polarizing tendencies of election-year politics can lead to circumstances in which Catholic teaching and sacramental practice can be misused for political ends. Respect for the Holy Eucharist, in particular, demands that it be received worthily and that it be seen as the source for our common mission in the world.

USCCB, Catholics in Political Life

As Catholics, we are part of a community with a rich heritage that helps us consider the challenges in public life and contribute to greater justice and peace for all people. Part of that rich heritage on faithful citizenship is the teaching of Vatican Council II's Declaration on Religious Liberty (Dignitatis Humanae). It says that "society itself may profit by the moral qualities of justice and peace which have their origin in [people's] faithfulness to God and to His holy will" (no. 6). The work for justice requires that the mind and the heart of Catholics be educated and formed to know and practice the whole faith.

This statement highlights the role of the Church in the formation of conscience and the corresponding moral responsibility of each Catholic to hear, receive, and act upon the Church's teaching in the lifelong task of forming his or her own conscience. Foremost amongst those teachings are the four basic principles of Catholic social doctrine: the dignity of the human person, the common good, subsidiarity, and solidarity (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, no. 160). With this foundation, Catholics are better able to evaluate policy positions, party platforms, and candidates' promises and actions in light of the Gospel and the moral and social teaching of the Church in order to help build a better world.

In this statement, we bishops do not intend to tell Catholics for whom or against whom to vote. Our purpose is to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with God's truth. We recognize that the responsibility to make choices in political life rests with each individual in light of a properly formed conscience, and that participation goes well beyond casting a vote in a particular election.

During election years, there may be many handouts and voter guides that are produced and distributed. We encourage Catholics to seek those resources authorized by their own bishops, their state Catholic conferences, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

USCCB, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship

It's against current federal law to discriminate against medical professionals who conscientiously refuse to participate in destroying unborn life. When those rights are violated, pro-life nurses and others have no meaningful recourse. The laws are "toothless"

USCCB, Conscience Protection

Cathy DeCarlo, a nurse at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York, was forced to take part in the gruesome dismemberment of a 22-week-old unborn child in 2009, and saw no resolution of her complaint to the HHS Office of Civil Rights (HHS/OCR) until 2013. Nurses have been told by Vanderbilt University and by a state-run medical center in New York that they must assist in abortions against their consciences.

If a doctor is told he may not perform abortions in one government program or on patients whose care is federally funded, his conscience is not violated—he is only inconvenienced, and he can perform such abortions elsewhere. If a doctor is told he must perform abortions, he is being ordered to violate his deepest convictions in order to keep practicing medicine—even though the Hippocratic oath that has formed the basis for medical ethics for many centuries rejects abortion. If these medical professionals are forced out of medicine, millions of pro-life Americans will lose their right to receive care from healers who respect and share their moral convictions about the life affirming purpose of medicine.

The Need for the Conscience Protection Act

USCCB Resources on Conscience Protection

This issue "…is about the future of God's creation and the one human family." To help us address contemporary questions, such as climate change, Catholics bring a long tradition of applying our Church's social teachings to complex issues.

God calls us as His stewards to care for the garden He created. The natural world serves as a source of inspiration for our faith and our love for the Creator. Through Biblical stories, psalms and parables, and the beauty of the natural world, we can come to know God more fully.

"Prudence not only helps us identify the principles at stake in a given issue, but also moves us to adopt courses of action to protect the common good. … It is not simply a cautious and safe approach, but rather a thoughtful, deliberate, and reasoned basis for taking or avoiding action to achieve a moral good."  In the case of global climate change, we know enough to understand that scientific arguments for action on the reduction of greenhouse gases cannot be easily dismissed. It seems prudent then, not only to continue to research and monitor this phenomenon, but to take steps now to mitigate possible negative effects in the future. 

USCCB, Why Does the Church Care About Global Climate Change

We show  our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth  is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are  called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with  all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and  ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.

A true concept of development cannot ignore the use of the elements of nature, the renewability of resources and the consequences of haphazard industrialization - three considerations which alert our consciences to the moral dimension of development.

USCCB, Care for Creation

“Alongside the ecology of nature, there exists what can be called a ‘human’ ecology, which in turn demands a ‘social’ ecology. All this means that humanity, if it truly desires peace, must be increasingly conscious of the links between natural ecology, or respect for nature, and human ecology. Experience shows that disregard for the environment always harms human coexistence, and vice versa. It becomes more and more evident that there is an inseparable link between peace with creation and peace among men. 

"There is a need to break with the logic of mere consumption and promote forms of agricultural and industrial production that respect the order of creation and satisfy the basic human needs of all. These attitudes, sustained by a renewed awareness of the interdependence of all the inhabitants of the earth, will contribute to eliminating the numerous causes of ecological disasters as well as guaranteeing the ability to respond quickly when such disasters strike people and territories. The ecological question must not be faced solely because of the frightening prospects that environmental destruction represents: rather it must above all become a strong motivation for an authentic solidarity of worldwide dimensions."

USCCB, Catholic Social Teaching on

Care for Creation and Stewardship of the Earth